Someone killed a snake in my neighborhood; or, the banality of evil
A poem
‘Someone killed a snake in my neighborhood; or, the banality of evil,’ by Hanson Egerland
Judging by the carcass, they hit it with a
car
— i note as i pass it for the second time on a dogwalk
Stay on the other streetside next time, i think,thoughtlessly pulling the sniffing dog away. Inured as i am to the road’s kills
this one in particular makes my stomach turn…
Someone killed a snake in my neighborhood
and left it to rot...
a bloody coil smashed out of this mortal one
and left to fester in the hot sun.
What have we lost? I can barely ponder due to the stench —again, I question, is life out here better than life inside — entrenched?
My jaw is clenched — in sweat I’m drenched —
And as i passby the fifth time i can ignore the stench.
As this is something different from the usual, please leave a comment to let me know what you think! And let me know if I should post more poetry in the poll below!
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-Hanson
Extra Reading:
In the spirit of encouraging holistic intellectualism (as opposed to liberal intellectualism and anti-intellectualism — which needs no citation, as it is the default state of our political economy), I will be recommending at least a few readings, videos, media, maybe even video games?, etc. that either tie-into or run parallel to the work that I have tried to do in the aforewritten piece. If you have other ideas for suggested readings, please feel free to comment — I will go back and add the best ones (with credit to who suggested it!)
Together, we can defeat the stupids.
Bertolt Brecht, “A Bed for the Night.”
What should we do in the face of utter violence and deprivation? We continue to struggle and fight against all forms of exploitation and domination.
Refaat Alareer, “If I Must Die.”
Imagine the most courageous person you’ve ever met: they are dwarfed by the figure of Refaat Alareer, assassinated perniciously by Israeli airstrikes, targeted specifically because of his outspoken criticism of Israeli genocide. What should we do when faced with overwhelming, callous violence? Intensify resistance, and importantly, carry on the stories of those who are martyred in the struggle.
Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself,” Section 52 - “A spotted hawk swoops by”
(I’ve linked both the full text and the referenced section, as this is a massive poem even considered apart from the rest of Leaves of Grass, but I do highly recommend the entire book — except \for “War Drums”)
How should we relate to nature? We should see ourselves in nature, but also, the ‘untranslatable’ aspects that we can’t fully comprehend, allowing natural species to exist on their own terms, free from our subjugation. One day, we too will return to the natural world we think we are separate from. We should be ready for that reckoning.
Courtney Gustafson, “Poets Square: A Memoir in Thirty Cats”1
What are our responsibilities to the world? How can our small impacts collectively restructure our society’s priorities? By building resilient communities and fighting for the dignity of all beings in our world.
I know it is really presumptuous to suggest my own writing on the same topic — especially when you look up and see some of the literal GOATs on this list — but I think its worthwhile to consider the… mess… of roadkill, and how we think about it as a society.
If you have any other suggestions that would enhance this reading list, comment below — I may add it to the list!
For this link, since this is a book, I am linking bookshop dot org with an affiliate link to Red Emma’s, a radical, cooperatively-owned bookstore/cafe in Baltimore — just search the book’s title and add Red Emma’s or your favorite local bookstore to the purchase to support them! Fuck Amazon.